City: Arena site not considered historical district
Ground has not yet been broken, but plans for a new downtown arena are already dividing the city.
The city announced last week it wanted to use the area about two blocks south of the convention center downtown.
The concern is that historic buildings will be demolished, but city officials insist not all of the space will be used.
On Monday, a member of the El Paso Historical Commission dug up a report to let the community know about the historical significance of the area. Max Grossman said seven properties within the arena’s footprint were recommended 18 years ago for addition to the National Register of Historic Places.
The properties included Fire Station No. 11, the Wholesale Auto Supply at 308 Chihuahua Street and the Mansion House at 306 West Overland. Two other properties on Overland and two on Chihuahua St. were also included in the list.
The city said only six parcels included in the footprint site are recommended as eligible for the National Register of Historical Places.
It added that the site is not designated as a historic district, nor has any action been taken by the city or any of the private property owners to add any of the parcels within that site to the national register.
A new section of the city’s website, dedicated to the development of the arena, states Fire Station No. 11 and the Firefighters Memorial will not be affected. In fact, it will be incorporated in with the arena development.
